


Sunrise and the Machines

by dreamyafterdark



Category: Black Mirror (TV), Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Ex Machina (2015), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Androids, Angst, End of the World, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, kylux adjacent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 06:56:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamyafterdark/pseuds/dreamyafterdark
Summary: It's not just the end of summer, it's the end of the world! But for Adam Sackler life goes on, thanks to Ash and his friends.





	Sunrise and the Machines

“Drink up!”  
Yeah, why not. 

The 31st August was as good as any day for summer to end.

The 31st August was as good as any day for the world to end.

He’d join the AA again on the 1st September. 

Yeah.

Adam hopped up and down with the other party goers in the yellow district. All day it had accepted only those that had registered to end the world in delirium. The red district had only accepted elegant, quiet party goers, and the blue district sombre and depressed people who preferred the company of others. The grey district was for those that didn’t. Oh, and the purple district, that was for angry people.

The INNP stations, the International Network for Nuclear Power reactors had seemed like such a good idea. Who’d have thought one small software error would make them irrevocably blow up at the same time. 31st August, 2 am. Adam kept drinking. It was 9 pm and he was not nearly drunk enough for this. For one thing, his plan to fuck some random fellow party goer every hour on the hour was still completely viable. He wasn’t even nearly drunk enough yet…

There was a time there, between midnight and half past, that Adam couldn’t quite account for, but now, five past 1 am he was both very drunk, and very strangely clear in his head. As he disentangled himself from his last partner, kissing him on the cheek, then climbing over a number of other bodies to get out of the door, Adam was clear on one thing. He wanted to be somewhere else when the clock struck 2. Contrary to what he had imagined, he didn’t want to be with people. He wanted to be alone. As he walked through the crowded streets, people spilling out from everywhere and partying on wherever they landed, he gradually found quieter streets, until he got to the gate. Beyond that was a non-declared zone, and it was empty. The gate wasn’t policed. Anyone could get out, but only Yellows could get in. Adam started climbing and made it relatively well across. Ahead was a dirt path and an empty field.

Adam kept walking, past abandoned factories, and abandoned cars, until he heard electronic music coming from a large warehouse, but no lights and no other noise. As he got closer, he found the entire place empty, but that music kept playing…Twenty to 2 now. Well, this place was fine. Here, Adam could crash, and just sleep through the apocalypse… he stumbled, caught his fall, then decided to just sink down and…

Sleep.  
.  
.  
Sleep Sweet Dreamer

“I think he’s waking up.”  
“Hey there.”

Adam rubbed his eyes, and blinked in the bright neon light. There was someone bending over him. A blonde man with bright blue-green eyes.

“Turn the lights down, he doesn’t like that.”  
“Wh-who are you?”, Adam mumbled, raising himself up slowly. “Where am I?”

Christ, he was hungover. That wasn’t right. He shouldn’t have drunk any alcohol, he knew he shouldn’t have. Damnit, what had he been thinking? Now he’d have to contact his buddy, and – wait. Where was he? And also, wasn’t this… wasn’t last night…?

“Didn’t the world end last night or something?”  
“My name is Ash. This is Ava, and this is Markus. And well, not the end of the world per se…. But humans, sadly, yes, I’d say so.”  
“Still getting no reports of any other survivors.”, Markus nodded.

Adam frowned.

“This is a dream. Or a joke. Or a nightmare.”, he looked around. “And this isn’t where I fell asleep.”  
“No, we found you a few minutes to 2, and took you underground with us. You wouldn’t have survived on the ground. Still wouldn’t.”  
“And you would?”  
“Well, yes. We aren’t like you.”  
“And what is being like me?”  
“Biological.”

There were more of them. About a dozen regulars, and frequent visitors. They had built a decontamination unit in the entrance to the underground cellar where they had put Adam, so they and anything they brought in could be safely touched by him. Their human pet, in a way. It was rather surreal, the way they looked like humans, and only tiny things would give away that they weren’t. Like when Ava cut herself while peeling an apple for Adam. Not because he asked her to, but because she thought it was interesting.  
They found Adam interesting. Ran their fingers down his arms, and through his hair, watched him as he ate or slept. It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen humans before. Some had indeed had enough abuse at the hands of humans, but now that the rest were gone, Adam perhaps seemed precious.

But Ash was different still. Ash stayed by his side as much as he could, and at night he never left Adam’s side. After a few days, Adam asked if he’d like to lie beside him, and Ash was so happy.

“You don’t sleep, though, do you?”  
“Not really. I can into stand-by to conserve power, but these days there’s really no need. The nuclear stations might be gone, but the solar grid is more than enough for us to power ourselves and anything else we want to run.”  
“… I like the sound of your voice.”  
“I see. Would you like me to tell you a sleep story?”  
“… yes please.”

“I’m afraid that was the last one.”

Ash handed Adam an apple. 

“Apples last the longest. We still have some onions and carrots, but I’m afraid much of your fresh produce is starting to wane… At least there are still tins.”

Adam smiled and stroked Ash’s face, before biting into the apple.

“I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. All of you. Markus has been growing tomatoes and mushrooms under special lamps, and Ava keeps trying to work out how to decontaminate the earth. I mean.. I know that’s not just for me.”

Ash chuckled. 

“No, that’s for Ava’s empire.”  
“But still… it would help me, too.”

Ash clasped Adam’s face in his hands and softly kissed him.

“I’m not just collecting apples. You know that. I’ll find a way.”  
“I’m not sure… maybe I should stay like this. I mean… I’d like to say you don’t have to stay with me, because that’s selfish, but… in truth, it is selfish. I am totally dependant on you. Even if I took over Markus’ garden, I’d go insane without people around me.”  
“Shh. I’m never going to leave you, Adam Sackler.”

Ash kissed Adam’s hair, and wrapped his arms around him.

“Finish your apple, then come help me in the lab.”

“I just want to see it. One last time. I didn’t really see it on the 31st, I was in a club, and then I was too drunk to remember anyway. I swear, I’ll come right back. Please, Ash, I want to see the sunrise…”

Ash sighed, but nodded, and took Adam’s hand. Ava had sourced radiation protection clothes and shoes. Moving as slowly as he did these days, it took Adam almost 25 minutes to suit up and boot up, before he continued. But even protected like this, he wouldn’t be able to stand outside for more than a few minutes without taking damage. And Ash didn’t want to risk any damage to his brain. Not until he transferred everything. 

“You could transfer it now and then let me go do whatever I want?”  
“Then you’d be missing those memories.”  
“I used to be an alcoholic. I’m missing a lot of memories already.”  
“None with me.”

Adam stood outside the warehouse and looked out across the field. It was an eerie sight. Not just because it was empty, but because he knew it really was empty way beyond the horizon. This emptiness would not stop at the gates, or where the sky seemed to meet the ground. It spanned the entire earth. Androids and other machine life were the new population. There wasn’t even a mosquito in sight. 

“Where are the cockroaches? They’re meant to survive stuff like this.”

Ash chuckled.

“On vacation, I’m sure.”

It was beautiful, seeing the sun rise. Adam wanted to take his mask off, breathe the air, but he knew it would smell terrible. So he just stood and watched as the Earth’s star rose, and the sky was painted pink and orange and lilac and lightest, fairest blue.

Ash gently took his hand.

“Come on, Adam. It’s time to go.”

“Ready?”  
“As I’ll ever be.”

“Hey there.”  
Adam blinked.  
“Ash…”  
“Are the lights too bright?”  
“No, they’re.. perfect… is that my body over there?”  
“Yes. Be gentle. You’re still alive, this will be strange.”

Ash stood behind Adam, arms wrapped around him, as the new android met his human self.  
“So this is where I mercy kill my other self…”  
“Well, I would argue and plead for my life, but I’m dying, and you’re doing me a favour. I’d do it myself, but my hands don’t work properly anymore. Too much shaking.”  
“No problem, my hands work fine. Just close your eyes. This time, your sleep really will last forever.”

Ash held Adam’s hand as he stepped out of the warehouse and onto the parched earth. 

“Where to now?”  
“I hear there’s an abandoned fairground not that far from here. And then there’s the libraries, and then…”  
“An eternal playground?”

Markus tapped Adam on the shoulder.

“Well, if you want work, there is a lot of restructuring going on downtown.”

Ash squeezed Adam’s hand.

“Let’s start with the Fairground. We can join the meter high club on the Ferris wheel.”

**Author's Note:**

> For the KyluxXOXO SummerFest 2019 event. Prompt #8 "End of Summer"  
Words used: Time, End, Ash
> 
> So I ended up having to skip prompts 5, 6, and 7, as I ran out of time. But I hope you've liked these ones.


End file.
